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J. P. B. FISKE GOOLINQ UNIT March 3, 1931.

Original Filed Feb. 28, 1921 Roiuued no. a, 1931 UNITED" STATES PATENT OFFICE JONATHAN P. 3. 113KB, 0! NEWTOI N', IABSAOEUBET'IB, ABSIGI'OB, BY 1cm ASSIGI- m'rs, '10 IELVINL'IOB COBIOBATION, O! DETROIT, IIOHIGAI, A (DRPORA'IION or moment coonms mn'r ori in-art. amass, dated June 14, mar, set-m Io. 8,50, and Ielmiary as, 10:1. Application to: reissue fled January 20, 1888- Ierial Io. 349,755.

This invention relates to mechanical de vices for lowering the temperature of s aces within which the devices may be place An object of the invention is the production of a cooling unit that may be placed in, and removed from, a cooling space as a unitary structure.

Another object of the invention is the production of a mechanical cooling device as a single unit and of such size and shape that it may be placed in position in the ice chest of the ordinary household refrigerator as at present constructed.

Another object of vision of a mechanical cooling device in the form of a self-contained unit adapted, when installed in a s ace to be cooled, to set up a circulation of an over the cool surfaces of the unit, that is effective and efiicient regardless of the form andsize of the space in which the unit is installed.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size and minor details of construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificingany of the advantages of the invention.

It is common in the art to combine the compressor and condenser, and in some types of refrigerating machines, the motor also in a unitary structure distinct and separate from the evaporator or vaporizer element. The passages connecting the condenser and evaporator or vaporizer element of such structures are more or'le'ss complicated and extended, depending on the location of the evaporator or va rizer element relative to the com ressor, 1; us rendering the problem of inst: ation a meteor less complicated one, which greatly increases the cost of the same and also multipliesvthe danger of leakage in the refrigerant systemthus extended.

In all such constructions, the installation the invention is the proof the mechanism either necessitates modifications in the cabinet or other structure with which the device is associated or the device is so constructed and arranged that when assembled it becomes such a part of the associated structure that when the refrigerant mechanism requires inspection, adjustment or repairs, it is necessary that this work be done at the place where the refrigerating structure is located.

All refrigerating apparatus re uires more or less attention technically calle service. Service on certain parts of the apparatus, such as motor, switch, water valve, etc., can be rendered with the apparatus in place by any intelligent mechanic without undue expense or inconvenience.

\Vhe'n it becomes necessary, however-,to inspect or repair any of the mechanism enclosed within the refrigerant circuit, as for instance the compressor, valve, expansion valve etc., it becomes necessary to discharge the refrigerant and to open up the machine. This is a highly technical matter involving experience and skill on the part of the service inan and usually a very considerable equipment of special apparatus'and tools. It is, therefore, necessary to send to the owners home a man ofthis character at a large expense to discharge. and dismantle the machine, make the necessary inspection and repairs, reassemble it and recharge it with refrigerant.

This process is attended with many disadvantages as the refrigerator is usually in the kitchen or pantry and is in constant use;by the household. here is usually insufiicient room for doing a considerable amount of work of this character and the interference of the household routine is serious. Furthermore, the escape into the kitchen of any refrigeratmg gas is a very serious matter and often makes it necessary to suspend all kitchen activities while the rocess is going on.

The necessity of sen 'ng highly trained exparts wlth special apparatus to the customers ome is attended with such great expense that heretofore it has been found necessary to restrict the installation of household refrigerators to points reasonably adjacent to serv- I so ice headquarters. This has been found one, of the most serious handicapslto the extension of the business.

In order to overcome these difliculties l have devised the so-called unit construction with the compressor, condenser and the evaporator constructed and arranged in one unit so that the entire apparatus may be placed within the space to be refrigerated.

When anything goes wrong with the apparatus, repairs can be madeupofall of t e elements outside of the refrigerant circuit, such as motor, switch, water valve, etc., by any ordinary mechanic with ordinary tools. Much of this work can be done without with.- drawing the unit from the refrigerated space.

Where the repairs are mere extenslve the apparatus can be withdrawn from the refrig verated space, taken to the basement or .the

workshop, ea'sil repaired, and replaced in the refrigerated space. Where special repairs are necessary on the mechanism contained withinthe refrigerant circuit, the entire unit can be placed in a packing box and shi ped to a repair station and a substitute unit provided for that purpose can be used in the'meantime without any interruption of refrigeration or any inconvenience to the occupants of the house.

Thisconstruction not only 'inakes it possible to eliminate delay'and mconvenience to the owner in making repairs, but also enables themanfacturer to install his devices over comparatively wide areas at a material reduction in the cost of service. It also enables the manufacturer to render more intelligent work on repairs because the centralization of the reppir work makes it possible to employ more 'ghly trained and experienced engineers and experts to supervise and execute the repair work.

The refri rating unit described below is adapted toll placed an where it is desirable to'cool the surroun ing air. The unit ma be employed in various relations and for 000 ing spacesin structures of various kinds, but for the purpose of simplicity of disclosure, the deviceis shown only'in connection with the ordinary household refrigerator, and the description is confined thereto. Moreover, for,convenience in description and illustration, the device is also shown more or less diagrammatically on the drawing.

On the drawings: V

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the cooling unit, with parts broken away and the front end of the supporting frame removed.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a refrig erator cabinet with the doors removed showing my device in place therein; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the device shown in Fig. 2.

On the drawings, the reference numeral 1 designates a refrigerator cabinet. This cabinet may be of any form, the one shown being the usual type of-household refrigerators, having the outer walls which may be provided with the usual insulating material and having the partitions 2 and 3 which di vide the interior s ace into the ice compartment .4 and the'a jacent food com artment composed of the sections 5 and 6. be food compartment may be provided with the removable shelving 7.

The vertical partition has at its top and bottom the usual ventilating openings 8 and 9. The horizontal artition 2 is likewise provided with a ventilating opening 10 to permit the circulation of air from the food compartment through the ice chamber.

The refrigerating or cooling unit consisting of the motor 18, the compressor 19, the

condenser 19, and the vaporizer 20, may be of any well known form, such, for example, as that shown in patent to Bechtold et al;, 1,276,612, August 20, 1918. It may have its parts supported in proper relation to each other by any suitable means, as the portable support or frame 17. As shown, the .sup-

orting means or frame is in the form of a ousing memberhavin'g the bottom wall 11, side walls 12, end walls 13 and top wall 14.- These walls may, if desired, be insulated as shown at 32', cans are provided for supporting the frame 17 in position in spaced relation to the partition 2. Any suitable means may be provided for this purpose and may be secured to any convenient portion of the frame 17. As shown, this means is in the form of supporting members 15 which are secured to the bottom wall 11 and constitute means for sliding the frame 17 into position in the refrigerator. These supporting members also maintain the frame 17 in spaced relation to the artition 2 to provide for free circulation of the air through the opening '10. The portable frame or housing 17 is rovided with a horizontal partition 16 which divides the housing into upper and lower chambers 25 and 26, respectively. The upper chamber contains the refrigerant liquefying mechanism, consisting of the motor 18, the compressor 19, condenser 19', and the usual automatic electric current and water controlling devices 28. The controls for the water and electric current may be of any known form, as, for exam 10, like that shown in application of Bochto d at al., Ser. No.

146,715, filed February 5, 1917 (U. S. Patent 1,178,421, dated December 25, 1923). The condenser 19, if cooled by water, may be connected to both the water mainand sewer through the pipes 27 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. Any suitable means 'may be em- If ployed for operating the compressor. the motor for operating the device be an electrical one, the electrical connection for the same may be made through operating the binding posts 29 in the usual manner.

The lower compartment contains the va- 'mostat and the various controls are no porizer- 20 which may consist of the header and expansion coils 31. .The vaporizer may, if desired, be located in brine contained in the closed tank 32, in the usual manner.

Pi s 33 and 34 connecting the compressor 23 which is operated by any suitable-thermo-.

stat or thermall 0 erated means such as the corrugated lon tu 'nally extensible metallic member 23' s own more or less diagrammatically in Figs. 1 and 3 which is adapted to be extended by vapor groduced b the environment tem rature om a flui containedin the bul 24.

Since the details of the motor, the compressor, the condenser,-the brine tank and vaporizer arrangement, the valve and ther;

er of the present invention, the details of t esc devices have not been shown or described.

The thermostat 24 is so arranged that when the tem rature within the food compartment fa ls below a predetermined point, it will close the valve to prevent air from passing therethrough. As the temperature of the air within the food compartment rises the thermostat will graduall open the valve and let more and more co (1 air from the lower chamber pass through the o ning 22 to lower the temperature of the ood compartment.

The temperature of the brine tank is controlled by a thermostat therein, not shown, which is connected to the devices 28 and controls the operation of the motor in the usual manner. 7

It willbe'noted that the openings 21 are located in the upper portion of the side walls of the lower chamber 26. This arrangement makes it possible to more accurately control the temperature of the food compartment since when the valve 23 is closed the air within the chamber surrounding the brine tank may be at a low temperature without materially affecting the temperature of the foodcomparment. In other words, a reservoir of cold air may be maintained within the lower chamber ready at all times, when the valve 23 begins to open, to pass into the food compartment to maintain a constant temperature therein.

When the valve 23 is open, air from the food compartment may pass through the openings 21, about the brine tank and through the openings 22 and 10 back into the food compartment. When the valve is open the air of the food compartment is free to circulate through the openings 8 and 10, thus maintaining the temperature uniform housingto cool the air of any throughout the food compartment.

It will also be noted that'the motor, compressor and condenser are isolated within the upper chamber. The heat generated by 0 ration of these members does not there ore materially afiect the temperature within the refrigerator. The heat generated by the operation'of these devices 13 carried away by t e condensing water in the usual way.

It will be noted that the frame 17 and refrigerant liquefying mechanism and vaporizer, when assembled constitute a portable unitary structure that may be inserted in the ice box of the ordinary household refrigerator and installed therein by making the proper water and electrical connections.

As has been stated above, my improved refrigerating unit is adapted to be placed in any space which it is desired to cool. This adaptability of the unit is in part due to the fact that the casing enclosing the unit insures an efiective and eflicient circulation of air over the vaporizer regardless of the size of ,the space in which the unit is installed. If no enclosing casingwere provided the circulation of the air over the vaporizer would depend largely-upon the size of the space around the unit and if the walls of the surrounding space were at some distance from the unit no tion. operation and advantageous features of my invention will be readily understoodbv those skilled in the art to which the inven-. tion appertains.

What I claim is:

1. -A refrigerating apparatus com rising a refrigerant compressor, a motor to drive the compressor, a condenser, a va rizer, and a housing directly supporting t c said motor compressor and condenser parts and extending around the vaporizer with air openings through the exterior walls of the housing near the top and bottom parts of the vaporizer to induce circulation of air in'and out of the housing, and thermall i controlled means associated with the housing opening at-the bottom part of the vaporizer for controlling the pzssage of air therethrough, said apparatus ing assembled and movable as a unit and adapted by circulation of air through said chamber in which the unit is placed.

2. A refrigerating apparatus comsrisin a refrigerant compressor, a motor to rive 5m compressor, a condenser, a vaporizer. a housing directly supporting the said motor compressor and condenser parts and extending around the vaporizer with air openings through its exterior walls near the top and 5 bottom parts of the vaporizer to induce circulation of air in andout of the housing, and thermally controlled means associated with the housin opening atthe bottom part of the vaporizer or controlling the passage of air 33 therethrou h and responsive to thetemperature of said air, said apparatus being assembled and movable as a unit and adapted by circulation of air through said housing to cool the air of any chamber in which the unit is placed.

3. In refrigerating. apparatus, the combination of a portable housing assembled and movable as a unit, said housing having heatinsulating walls and upper and lower chamhers and the exterior wallsofsaid lower chamber having 0 enings at different levels for the entrance an exit of air, refrigerant liquefying mechanism enclosed in said upper chamber, a vaporizer in said lower chamber, means :3 connecting said mechanism and vaporlzer for the circulation of the refrigerant, and thermally controlled means .for controlling the flow of air throu b one of said openings.

4. In combination with a refrigerator cabinet, a self-supporting self-contained refrigerating apparatus comprising a casing provided with a partition dividing it into superposed compartments, one of sand compartments being heat insulated, a compressor condenser 25 means mounted in said insulated compartment, a refrigerant vaporizer mountedin the other compartment, and refrigerant conduits interconnecting said vaporizer, and said compressor condenser means, said apparatus being movable into and out of said on inet without disturbing said conduits.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

JONATHAN P. B. FISKE. 

